Science Just Keeps Proving Coffee Is Good For You

According to a new report, but not for the first time, coffee is being hailed as really good for you. Over a ten year period, the study confirmed that coffee drinkers, regardless of the amount consumed, had a lower chance of death than their non-coffee drinking counterparts.

The team at the National Cancer Institute used data from people taking part in a large genetic study in Britain called the U.K. Biobank. More than half a million people volunteered to give blood and answer detailed health and lifestyle questions for ongoing research into genes and health. –NBC News

Previous studies had confirmed that drinking coffee, at least three cups a day, had an overall positive effect on humans. One such study last year found that coffee drinkers have exhibited healthier livers and better glucose control compared with non-drinkers. In addition, the scientists have observed a similar effect after consuming decaffeinated coffee. “We found that higher coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of death from any cause, and specifically for circulatory diseases and digestive diseases,” lead author Dr. Marc Gunter reported in a university press release.

But the recent study included all kinds of coffee drinkers. The research team looked at who drank coffee, how much and what kind of coffee, and looked for differences in several inherited genes involved in the metabolizing of caffeine. Then they looked at the death rates over 10 years of the study…

The conclusion?

People who drank coffee, no matter how much or what kind they drank, were less likely to die over that 10-year period than non-coffee drinkers. They researched reported their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association’s JAMA Internal Medicine. The study also concluded that even people who said they drank more than eight cups a day were less likely to die, on average than non-coffee drinkers.

The team, led by NCI’s Erikka Lotfield, who reported on the conclusion. “Coffee drinkers, compared with non–coffee drinkers, were more likely to be male, white, former smokers, and drink alcohol,” Lotfield’s team wrote. “Participants drinking four or more cups per day, compared with those drinking less coffee and nondrinkers, were more likely to drink instant coffee and be current smokers, whereas participants drinking one to three cups per day were older, more likely to have a university degree, and more likely to report ‘excellent’ health.”

In the 10 years of follow-up, more than 14,000 people died. But non-coffee drinkers were more likely to have died than coffee-drinkers.